


titles are outdated overly-expensive pageantries

by UncrownedKing



Series: another last dance [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Logince - Freeform, M/M, Murder, Panic, general anxiety, hints to a platonic Moxiety, multiple murders in fact, no graphic descriptions or anything just mentions of a murder, not a lot i guess i dont even know if this is fluff, past analogical, the insinuation that Virgil hasn't slept in at least two days, this is mystery!, uhhhhh fuck, worrying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-11 09:46:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18428027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UncrownedKing/pseuds/UncrownedKing
Summary: or otherwise known as "BS can't title for shit" — in response to a writing prompt on tumblr!Virgil's a detective working to solve the latest string of serial murders. He's a habitual worrier, though, so when the signs start pointing to his ex-boyfriend's NEW boyfriend, he can't help but be concerned for Logan's safety.





	titles are outdated overly-expensive pageantries

A/N: this is in response to [this prompt](https://imnotcameraready.tumblr.com/post/184098933980/outerspacekake-ladyhavilliard)! the link also takes you to the tumblr post where this story is posted :'3 enjoy!

 

Virgil was certain he had everything figured out. Roman may not be the murderer, but all of the dominoes lined up for that, didn’t they? The novelist’s most recent mystery book,  _ A Library Most Silent _ , held details so precise that the author skyrocketed to the top of Virgil’s suspect list for a murder that had occurred three months ago. Maybe it was based on the murder, sure, he hadn’t ruled out that possibility yet, but there were some details in the book that only the police and murderer should know. That was suspicious to the typically paranoid detective. 

And while he didn’t have enough evidence to even bring the man in for an interrogation, he did know who Roman’s romantic partner was. And that was what truly concerned him. Yeah, sure, the break up wasn’t the cleanest in the world, but it hadn’t led to any burned bridges. Virgil still winced as his thoughts drifted closer to his ex — an ex of three years, mind you — Logan Webster. Logan was an old friend from college, when they’d studied criminology together.

Speak of the devil. Virgil sat upright as the cafe’s door creaked open. Logan was punctual as usual, it was just that the nerves made Virgil come sooner. Better sit in a crowded cafe than in his office. 

Plus, Patton had kicked him out of the office. Something about needing to get sunlight after looking over the case details for 36 hours. 

Logan spotted him at his usual table in the corner and his demeanor changed, shoulders hiking up a little, eyes narrowing. Virgil tried to hold a neutral expression, but he also couldn’t help the way his brow sank into a glower. It wasn’t a clean break up, after all. But he couldn’t be angry. He was here for a much different reason than to settle who was keeping the cat. 

He watched Logan order a drink, probably a large black coffee with one sugar cube, scanning for any abnormalities. Bruises, healing cuts, a twitch that wasn’t there before, anything. If Roman del Sol was really a murderer, then that meant Logan was in the utmost danger, and that meant that it was his duty as a detective, no, as one of Logan’s best friends, to protect him. It didn’t matter if they had unresolved whatevers. Logan’s life was on the line.

“Virgil,” Logan said, voice flat as ever, jarring Virgil out of his thoughts, “You seem more tired.”

He managed a smile still — one that didn’t reach his eyes, but still. Despite the callout, he was happy to see Logan again after a while. Logan had always been good at grounding Virgil into some sort of reality, as messy as it all was. “And you’re just as blunt as ever. How’re you?”

“I am doing well. My students are….well, they are learning, as usual,” Logan pushed his glasses up with all his fingers, palm open to his face, as usual. Maybe, Virgil thought, he wouldn’t bring up— “Roman’s book is doing remarkably.”

Ah. Virgil winced, and hoped it wasn’t as blatant as it felt. The calm was nice while it lasted. “I actually, um. Wanted to talk to you about the book.”

Logan raised an eyebrow and leaned back, glancing beneath the table. Virgil’s frown deepened and he followed Logan’s eyeline. Virgil was bouncing his leg again. Great. He kicked himself mentally, angry at himself for getting coffee, for not sleeping, for letting his anxiety ball up inside of himself when he NEEDED to talk to Logan about this INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TOPIC. So now Logan knew he was anxious. 

Hopefully he’d write it off as normal— “What has you so anxious?” Son of a goddamn bitch. “Is it to do with the book?”

Curse Logan’s observant, beautifully deep blue eyes. Virgil nodded, gnawing on the inside of his bottom lip before opening his mouth again. “Yeah. There are, uh, a...Well, first, have you read it?”

“Of course. Roman is a wonderful writer, but he wouldn’t be able to string two words together with proper grammar without me,” Logan smiled a little, apparently at the thought.

Something tugged in Virgil’s heart, but he ignored it the best he could. There were more important fish to fry than his tangled love life. They were over, long over. Long, long, long over. 

“Yeah, well...have you also heard about the murder from a few months ago? It happened in the, uh, the Crofters U library.”

This seemed to pique Logan’s interest more, as he sat up straight at the crime’s mention. Of course he’s heard, Logan must have been made aware, as a Crofters U professor and as someone who frequented the library. When he first got the call, it chilled Virgil’s blood to think that Logan was so close to the serial murderer as another murder was taking place.

Yeah, another. 

“Of course I’ve heard of it. I know all the details, all of the professors with offices in the library were made aware,” Logan pushed his glasses up again and reached for his mug, “Did you call me here to ask if I knew anything?”

Virgil chuckled. If only it were just that, he thought bitterly. “No, um. I….I’m on that case, yeah, and we’ve interviewed everyone who was present. We’re making, uh, solid work on that case. I can’t tell you much about it.”

“Understandable. I don’t want you to breach any security laws,” Logan raised an eyebrow, “So you called to, what? Check if I were safe?”

“Is that a surprise?” Virgil bit his tongue and leaned his head down a little more as Logan raised his other eyebrow. 

A weird silence followed, the kind that’s impermeable with even the right words, adding another few ounces of tension between them. Virgil drummed his fingers gently against the table and tried to think of the least stressful way to ask the question he needed to, trying to think past the screaming voice in his head yelling at him to get on with it. 

Logan sipped his coffee.

A pin dropped would have been heard, it was so quiet. Virgil sucked in a little breath. Might as well just do it, like a bandaid. 

“Roman’s a suspect.” 

Like lightning, a million different emotions seemed to pass through Logan’s face. Sure, Virgil had expected him to be confused, upset, apprehensive even. But he truly hadn’t expected Logan’s face to settle into one of his disgruntled frowns, the kind that won him arguments, that screamed ‘falsehood.’ 

Virgil rubbed the back of his neck, and Logan made no more movements other than just to grip his mug tighter. “He’s—We’ve—His newest book. It’s got a lot of, uh, consistencies with the crimes, enough to put him in our line of sight. And then his alibi….we saw someone like him on the security cameras for the library, about an hour before the autopsy puts the murder. So, like….he’s one of our biggest suspects right now,” he tried to explain himself, as though he needed to. 

Logan always made him feel like he had to explain himself, to rationalize his worries, which was both a good way to calm his anxieties or to frustrate him further. His fears often weren’t able to be rationalized, after all, and while this was for work and not just one of the shadows he feared so much, it felt like Logan’s gaze was putting him under the exact same amount of scrutiny. 

Maybe even more. Was that a ghost of humor behind his glasses?

“Yes, well,” Logan put his mug down and wiped his mouth, “I hope you’re not threatening my boyfriend over a fictional book. That hardly seems like a strong enough base to build your case. And it was our date night, hence Roman was at the library. He was picking me up from my office.” 

Virgil opened his mouth, then closed it again. He  _ knew _ how to do his job. Logan might be smart, but that didn’t mean he could do Virgil’s job better than he could. “If you wanna go on record with that, that’d be great for Roman, but right now….we’re looking into where he was for the other three cases, from February,” he paused to finish off his own drink.

“I don’t see why that’s a necessary step when your connection of him to this case is so….loose.”

“It’s a connection, though, and you know we gotta follow all of them. I just—I wanted to warn you. ‘Cause if he  _ does _ turn out to be our guy….” Virgil didn’t want to voice these fears. 

He had done his best to dance around this specific concern, to not worry Logan (when he did worry, it seemed that his breakdowns could match Virgil’s), so he clamed up. But Logan’s glare didn’t let up.

“What will happen, Virgil,” Logan’s voice had a threatening edge to it, “I hope you aren’t threatening him.” 

“If he’s a murderer, Logan,” he emphasized his name, trying to match Logan’s bite, but the words were dying in his throat. “We’re gonna take him in sure. But until then, until we can prove it, I don’t want him to—to—”

It seemed, however, that Logan picked up what Virgil wasn’t able to say. “You don’t want him to hurt me,” he stated, though it was more like a question.

His ears were burning. Virgil kept his eyes trained on his mug as he nodded slowly. “He’s….Whoever’s committing these murders is real dangerous, L, and I don’t want you getting in the crossfire.”

Logan must think his anxiety’s gotten a hold of him, surely. Virgil kicked himself mentally — saying it out loud like this, like a murderer would kill his lover, it made the entire ordeal sound so dumb. If Logan had lived until now, then Roman definitely wouldn’t kill him. But….murderers often didn’t see anything wrong with violence. Often being, like, always, given that they were murderers. He rationalized himself in a circle again, trying to not look at Logan’s likely confused, likely hurt, likely offended expression.

Until a gentle hand patted his back. Virgil’s head snapped up at him. 

Logan was standing now, holding his mug on one hand, bag slouched over his shoulder. 

“Now, Virgil. I assure you that I am personally safe,” he had a small smile on his face, “Though I don’t know if your hunch about Roman bears any fruit in reality. There were….certain details in the book that didn’t match with the crime either. ”

He checked his watch and sighed. “I must be going, I promised Roman I would pick up some groceries before returning home, but your concern for me is touching. If there is anything amiss, I will alert you.”

So he was taking this seriously? Virgil stood up and patted Logan’s arm, a regular gesture between them, focusing mostly on the euphoria of being acknowledged. “‘Course. I’m, uh, sorry if that was a bit of a shock. It’s just been real stressful at the office and I want to make sure you’re, um, aware. And being safe,” Virgil’s shoulders let up some of their tension, more relieved that Logan was at least taking his concerns into consideration than anything else. 

“I will. Have a good day, Virgil.” And with that, Logan turned, walking out of the cafe, leaving Virgil feeling much more relieved. 

As he climbed into his car to go home, though, he realized one slightly….off color remark. How had Logan known about the slight differences? Had Logan personally compared the book and the crime? From what Virgil knew, no one else had that hunch. 

Hm. Another concern to add to the list.


End file.
